It Seems To Be Time For America3

America3 One Victory From Success

May 15, 1992|By TOMMY HINE; Courant Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO — Upwind, downwind, light air, heavy air ... it doesn't seem to matter. America3 is quicker on all points of sail, in all wind conditions, and this 28th defense of the America's Cup could end Saturday.

"We're very, very cautiously optimistic," said America3 syndicate head Bill Koch, trying to keep a rein on his post-race excitement. "All we have to do is keep it together.

"We can do it. We'd love to wrap it up, but we're not planning on it."

For the Italian challengers to have any chance against the Americans' quicker yacht, they can leave no room for error. In the race Thursday, like the three races that preceded it, Il Moro didn't do that well.

"They just outsailed us," Il Moro skipper Paul Cayard said. "That was the difference. They deserved to win the race, and they won the race. "Every sailor probably remembers a day when he's sailed better. We're hoping to sail some perfect days [in the next two races] this weekend and next Tuesday. We haven't sailed a perfect race yet."

Every mistake by Il Moro has been costly.

Only minutes before the pre-start Thursday, Cayard opted to change mainsails. Later, when winds dropped on the first windward leg, the sail change proved to be wrong. America3 led by 24 seconds at the rounding.

One leg later, America3 raised its huge gennaker sail for the downwind run to the first leeward mark. Cayard called for a smaller spinnaker. Wrong again. America3 led by 47 seconds at the mark.

"We liked what we had up," said Buddy Melges, America3 helmsman for five of the eight legs. "Our liquid crystal [mainsail] was cooking.

"But we know it's a long way from over."

Italy's best chance to take the lead came on the second windward leg when Cayard played the windshifts to perfection. "Paul

was better hooked up [with the correct foresail] on that leg than we were," Melges said.

Il Moro trailed by only 27 seconds after a strategic tacking duel, but that was as close as Cayard got. Over the five legs that remained, the deficit increased.

"The difference is boat speed," Koch said. "Paul [Cayard] had the wrong sail up for awhile."

Dave Dellenbaugh, Koch's tactician, agreed.

"I thought, up until today, we had an edge upwind," said Dellenbaugh, from Easton. "It appears we have an edge downwind, too."

Koch admitted there were some anxious moments on his boat when Il Moro made inroads on the second windward leg -- one of the few times in the series the Italians gained time while sailing upwind.

"We watched our lead go from 11 boat lengths to four lengths to two lengths," Koch said. "It got us uptight. It made us very nervous.

"After that, Dave [Dellenbaugh] did a nice job picking up the wind shifts."

The most crucial moment for Koch's crew Thursday had nothing to do with Il Moro. America3 grinder Pete Fennelly, from Colonia, N.J., nearly fell overboard, and he came very close to breaking his leg. Bowman Jerry Kirby of Newport, R.I., and pitman Wally Henry, from Port Jefferson, N.Y., saved Fennelly and, perhaps, saved America3's victory. Had Fennelly fallen into the water, Melges would have had to circle and retrieve him -- a time-consuming maneuver that would have cost precious seconds.

As the defender's boat rounded the second leeward mark for the spinnaker drop, Fennelly's right leg got caught in a jib sheet -- one of the lines used to trim the huge sail. Fennelly was slammed into the shrouds that support the mast as the sheet was being ground into the block (pulley), and Kirby jumped to his aid.

"I went over [the side], Jerry went over, and Wally pulled us both back," Fennelly said. "We were both suspended over the side."

First, Kirby yelled for mainsail trimmer Mike Topa to ease the jib sheets to lessen the pressure on Fennelly. "If we had winched the sails tight, he would have broken his leg," Kirby said.

Once the jib sheets were loosened and the pressure eased on Fennelly's leg, Henry got an arm grip around Fennelly's head. Kirby then cut the sheet loose from Fennelly's leg, the spinnaker fell on all three sailors, and Henry somehow pulled both mates back on board.

"I knew if Jerry went in the water, this regatta would be tied up, 2-2," Henry said. "There was no way we'd won the race.